All-State baseball’s top players were big time in crunch time

Is it a most valuable player honor?

Is it a mad-statistics reward?

Or is it about being Mr. Clutch when everything is on the table.

Coaches and media may not have been certain through most of the 2018 prep baseball season. When the time came for big-boy results, the panel of voters made it clear that Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa of Baldwin and Stone Parker of Kailua were the best at what they do.

That was not easy in ’18, not with a wealth of talent across the state on the mound and at key fielding positions.

Hoopii-Tuionetoa was nearly a sweep for both honors, but in the end, was voted the Star-Advertiser All-State Baseball position player of the year. Parker edged Hoopii-Tuionetoa for pitcher of the year honors.

These days, UTIL is basically an MVP at the prep level, especially with a player such as Hoopii-Tuionetoa. Known better as “Bubba” to friends and family, he was arguably the MVP for the state-champion Baldwin Bears, though shortstop/pitcher Kaipo Haole and third baseman Chayce Akaka were also in the conversation. Hoopii-Tuionetoa’s stellar play in center field was a big factor, and his foray into pitching resulted in an unbeaten mark with a perfect 0.00 ERA in Maui Interscholastic League play. He then had a spectacular state tourney, batting .600 (6-for-10) with seven RBIs and two runs scored. He also pitched five innings for one of Baldwin’s victories. It was one of the best all-around, clutch performances in state-tourney history. He was a near-unanimous selection for the award, never mind that MLB teams have kept close tabs on him for some time.

“What the scouts didn’t know is that this is actually his first year of being a pitcher through the high school year,” Bears coach Shane Dudoit said. “There’s not much mileage (on his arm), and he throws 93, 94 mph with a good splitter, and he hasn’t gotten control of his curveball yet.”

Hoopii-Tuionetoa projects as a ninth- to 14th-round pick in this week’s MLB draft, Dudoit said.

“He’s a good kid, super respectful, a super team player. You rarely find guys like that,” the coach said. “Just an all-around good kid from a good family. He will still get lickens from his grandfather if he doesn’t do the yard on Sundays.”

All-State Baseball: Position Player of the Year by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd

Other players receiving votes for position POY included Mid-Pacific shortstop Wyatt Young, Akaka, Hilo outfielder Micah Bello, Waiakea second baseman Casey Yamauchi and Damien shortstop Jordan Donahue.

In a deeply rich pool of talent, voting at every nearly position was tight. One of the few decisive margins was in the outfield, where Bello was a leading vote-getter. The senior is at the Major League Baseball pre-draft workouts this week.

“We played against (Bello) in preseason,” Dudoit recalled. “First pitch of the game, he hit a screaming double 400 feet off Bubba.”

Parker, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior, went 6-1 with an 0.69 ERA, 66 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched with just 12 walks. He went the distance at the state tourney, hurling seven innings with one run and three hits allowed as Kailua advanced.

His impeccable season is quite the reward following the adversity of injuries. As a sophomore, Parker was an understudy of sorts under then-ace Joey Cantillo. But Parker injured his UCL and rotator cuff.

“My release was over the top, but after I recovered, I dropped it to more three-quarter, so now I have more of a tail to it,” said Parker, who signed with the University of Kansas. “My arm’s been healthy ever since.”

He hits the upper 80s on the speed gun, but his repertoire is like a menu of gourmet excellence: fastball, curve, slider, change-up, sinker.

“I’m working on a cutter,” Parker added.

Corey Ishigo, the longtime Kailua coach, beamed with satisfaction for Parker.

“It’s been a long time, probably six or seven years, working with Stone on our club team. We knew this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time, the ups and downs with his arm,” Ishigo said. “To accomplish what he did this season, it’s just amazing.”

All-State Baseball: Pitcher of the Year by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd

Parker, who was also named Gatorade player of the year in Hawaii on Tuesday, was joined on the first team by Waiakea ace David Nakamura and Surfriders teammate Bryson Ballesteros.

The coach of the year honor went to Dudoit after he guided Baldwin to a 16-1 season and the state title. Also receiving votes were Eric Tokunaga of Farrington, Mark Hirayama of Mililani, Rory Inouye of Waiakea and Timo Donahue of Damien.

Dudoit coached at St. Anthony a decade ago, then was an assistant under Jon Viela. After Viela guided the Bears to a state crown in ’16, he left to become athletic director at Kamehameha-Maui. Dudoit was hired as head coach, retired from the Maui Fire Department and has put his all into developing players.

“The kids buy in, and that’s the toughest part as a coach, but for us and our program, it’s about pono, do what is right. Buy into each other,” Dudoit said. “That’s one of the biggest goals before the season, is for everyone, players and parents, to have an ohana spirit.”

2018 All-State Baseball by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd